My trip to Japan (Part 2)

In the concluding part of this travelogue, experience the wonderful world of Japanese food, culture, and its people through the eyes of our reporter, Yingyi.

Food

Japan was a brilliant experience, culturally, spiritually... and gastronomically. Not only did we get to eat authentic food such as ramen and soba, we also tried unique Japanese street food at Arashiyama, a small town near Kyoto. Japanese sweet potato, grilled and served piping hot, is excellent for keeping warm. Then there were the turnip patties and skewered rice balls dipped in sweet sauce. The most bizarre was a really strong-tasting concoction of egg patty mixed with ginger, squid and spring onions that my Dad and a surprising number of people loved.

Whenever we were in a hurry and had no time to stop at a diner for lunch, we would buy Bento (or lunchboxes), just like any other hungry Japanese on the go. A lunchbox meal is like any other cooked meal, except that it is never soup-based and is always served cold.

This was the best bento I ever had. Not only was it delicious, it was also aesthetically-pleasing, no?

Speaking of aesthetics, the Japanese care a great deal about food presentation. This saliva-inducing lightly toasted bread topped with ice cream and served with syrup was eaten at the Ginza Lion, at the Stellar Mall in Sapporo train station.

A Sparkling Bread tastes just as good as it looks!

Snow and snowfall

It has been about 10 years since I last experienced a snowfall, so you can imagine how exhilarated I was to see swirls of rapidly falling snowflakes when we visited the northern island of Hokkaido.

Thick layer of fluffy snow covering all the structures in the town of Kamikawa.


I had fun making a snowman at Noboribetsu, using leaves as his hair, trimmed shot by a swiss-knife!


Snowman no.2: Asari, the snowman was born in... Asari. To celebrate the occasion, I lent him my glasses.

Anime and manga

Being the hardcore anime fan that I am, I was on the lookout for anime paraphernalia. Here’s a tip for anime fans visiting Tokyo: pop in at Akihabara, the mecca for otakus. There’re CDs, games, figurines, trading cards and other anime memorabilia. But do be careful of the occasional hentai trash in some shops. At the end of the trip, I came home with some anime memorabilia that I otherwise would not have been able to obtain in Singapore, such as a copy of the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. Not bad, really :)

The Japanese

The thing I admire about Japanese youths is their fashion sense. The outfits donned by some teenagers can be jaw-dropping, to say the least: frilly Lolita dresses completed with lacy headbands or Goth attire paired with dark make-up. Then there’re those into the Harajuku style flaunting loud coloured clothes and bizarre hairdos. When it comes to dressing, Japanese youths are certainly outstanding, but rarely tacky. Bubblegum pink hair with striped long socks is unconventional but somehow most girls I’ve seen managed to pull off the look fine and with confidence too. It’s this dare-to-be-square, take-me-as-I-am personality that I really admire.

Not everyone dresses flamboyantly, but rather, funkily. Boys and girls have ‘hip’ and ‘cool’ incorporated into their outfits . Women usually dress fashionably; this winter the trend seems to be knee-high leather boots and hair worn in a messy topknot. Old ladies are more modestly dressed, sometimes in a kimono, but they can be ‘cool’ too. I spotted an old lady with hair dyed bright purple at Tokyo station.

If the French are the epitome of chic and elegance, then the Japanese are the epitome of the unconventional and hip.

CONCLUDING NOTES...

Japan really is a one-of-a-kind place. I like how a uniquely Japanese flavour is injected into the many foreign ideas and goods it has adopted over time. Well-known examples include cartoons, which the Japanese have turned into the highly popular anime, and the kimono (which originated from China). As a strong believer in individualism, I greatly admire that. In retrospect, this unique country has given me a truly unique experience. Arigato gozaimasu!

By Wan Ying Yi